On the Road Again

We love to travel. It's actually one of my favorite things to do. It always has been. My fondest memories of my childhood involve and revolve around some of the great trips we went on as a family. I get a bit childishly excited when I get to take my kids to new places, or when I get to pack my suitcase.

Already this year, we have clocked some serious miles in the car. But more miles in the air. We do prefer to fly, but it is not always an option.

In January, we went on our big annual ski trip with my family to the mountains in North Carolina. My mom and I opted to leave a few days early and drive up. We brought my kids along for the adventure. We spaced the drive out over three days - which was way longer than it needed to be. But it all worked.

All packed in and ready to go!

Things I Have Learned on the Road

Have a food plan. It doesn't have to be super specific. For instance, my husband and I only go through drive-thrus for breakfast. Usually we plan to have one meal at a sit-down restaurant. This gets the kids out of the car, we are able to stretch our legs, and actually look at each other for at least 30 minutes. Thanks to our iPhones, we can look on the Google Map and find places fairly easily. When we are on the road, I try to anticipate the need for food. I start my search for a restaurant about 30 minutes before I think a food-induced, hungry tantrum will possess one of the kids (or worse, hubs).

Have a bathroom plan. My bathroom lowest standard is a McDonald's. This booty (and the tiny booties in the backseat) will NOT go anywhere near a gas station toilet. When you're traveling with young humans, you want to make sure you're asking regularly if a stop needs to be made. The hubs conceded long ago

I love it when we find a Chick Fil A! And even though it's fast food, we usually go inside to eat. That keeps the car cleaner, people can use the restrooms, and it's just nice to get out of the car.

that this was an acceptable demand. He used to like to "just drive, not stop and get there!" One time when I was very pregnant, he argued with me on the highway for, I felt, longer than was necessary about stopping. I explained he needed to pull over or prepare to buy a new passenger seat. We have not had this conversation ever again. Little kids and preggos cannot "hold it." And neither one will give you much notice before needing a toilet. So, it's better to constantly bring it up, or stop regularly and force people to try.

Make a killer playlist. Or at least a playlist the kids will enjoy. I know not all of the songs on our Road Trip playlist make my husband happy. But he would much rather listen to the kids singing Justin Bieber than screaming and whining "How much longer?" every two seconds. Sometimes you have to go with the lesser of two evils. I usually ask the kids a few days before the trip if there are any songs they want to buy. We then load up some tunes on our playlist. I also extend the offer to the hubs, but his taste in music is horrible, so he is limited to selecting a few kid-approved genres. I have a rule that on long trips, we only shuffle the playlist and let the iPhone pick the order. No special requests.

Thumbs up Mom, I am ready for the movie to begin!

Charge all electronics. I spend the day before a long car trip syncing the devices. I erase all the photos off the iPads (each of our kids has one), this way they can take new pics on the trip without running out of storage. Each kid gets one movie downloaded to his/her device - this way they have at least 4 hours of movie time in the car (if they are nice and share). My kids usually decide amongst themselves which movies are going to get downloaded. Last trip, I put two on my MacBook. That way they had even more movie time! If your movies are on Apple TV, it's very simple to download them to your devices via iTunes. This is perfect for cars because the downloaded movies will play without wifi. DO NOT FORGET TO PACK HEADPHONES! Each kid has his/her own, so they don't have to watch the same movie. If the kids are watching the same one, I plug the device into our car's AUX and run the sound through the car speakers, and we prop the device up in-between the two front seats. That way everyone in the back can see and hear the film.

Have something else for the little ones to do. My kids, particularly my son, LOVE to draw. On the last trip, we brought each a spiral notebook and a set of pens*. I am not kidding when I tell you my son drew pictures for nearly 4 hours! He was completely content. My daughter messed around in the notebook for a bit, then watched a movie, played a game on her iPad, played with her lovies, took a nap. It worked out well. You know your children, pack something that will entertain them - even just entertaining one of them will cut down on the time they spend arguing over something stupid.

Pack something comfy and cozy. Each kid is allowed to bring a plush lovie or two if they are on the smaller side. The hubs and I always bring a pillow** each, so the kids end up with one in the backseat. When we are taking a trip in the winter, someplace cold, the kids bring their sleeping bags. They like to snuggle up in them, especially after we have opened the car doors at a bathroom or food stop.

He didn't even realize we were in the car. He was lost in his own world. This was the best $5 ever spent.

Dress comfy. There's no need to be dressed to the nines when you are going to be in the car all day. I personally prefer to wear leggings or yoga pants on car trips (I prefer to wear them every day, but sadly I can't always get away with it). If we are leaving early in the morning, we don't even bother changing the kids out of their pajamas until we stop for a breakfast/bathroom break. And sometimes, they stay in jammies longer than that. If we are traveling late into the night, I will get the kids into their pjs after we stop for dinner.

Pack the car thoughtfully. This is probably the most crucial. Be mindful of where your littles one will be and what they will want to get to during the ride. I prefer to pack multiple smaller bags for a car trip. I have a small bag for our clothing needs. I love this Thirty-One Large Utility Tote my sister-in-law gave me years ago... It is an absolute must have for the car. I fill it with the entertainment things (iPads, notebooks, pens, etc.) and stick it on the seat between the kids. It is easy for them to grab their items, and it serves as a nice buffer between them.

* Definitely pack a set of pens...at least one will end up on the floor, out of reach.
**When you bring your own pillow on a trip, change the pillow case to something colorful ahead of time. Most hotels have white pillow cases. If yours is also white, you may accidentally leave it there (speaking from experience). But a colorful pillow will stand out in your final sweep of the hotel room.
***This is not an advertisement for Thirty-One. I simply LOVE the tote and wanted to share it with you. Every mother should own one.